Rail-bond construction.



Patented May I3, I902" E. a. THOMAS. RAIL BOND INSTRUCTION.

. A lication mm No'v. 1, 1901.

(No Model.)

- fi z k UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

EDWARD e. THOMAS, OIFTOAMBRIDIGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAIL-BOND CONSTRUCTION.

SFEGIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,902, dated May 13, I902.

, Application filed November 1,1901. Serial No. 80,742. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LEDWARD G. THOMAS,

following is a specification, reference being: had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

In electric-railroad construction it has been found as necessary to provide a path of low resistance for the current flowing from the motors of the cars back to the generator as is provided by the trolley-wire and overhead feed-wires for bringing the current in the opposite direction. The rails are usually of a cross-section suflicient to provide a path of reasonably low resistance for the return current, provided that they are joined electrically in a perfect manner. The fish-plates and rail-joints in commonuse do not form a perfect electrical contact, because of the inequalities of their surfaces and because of the scale formed upon them, so it has been found necessary to unite the rails by strips of copper firmly fastened to the rails and termed rail bonds. Because of the expansion and contraction of the rails under the alternate heating and cooling received from the conditions of sun and Weather it is necessary to provide acertain amount of flexibility in the rail-bond, sinceif this was not provided the bond would be torn apart by the contraction of the rail or buckled by the expansion. Rail-bonds are of various forms, some consisting of a solid copper wire riveted into the rails on each side of the rail-joints and bent sufficiently to be flexible. Others consist of flexible strips bent into sinuous form and soldered to the bottom side of the rails. One disadvantage of these forms of construction is the fact that these bonds are sometimes stolen, because of their value as scrapcopper, so that it is best, if possible, to provide a bond which can be readily placed under the plates of a rail joint, where they are wholly protected from theft. The space, however, under a rail-joint is very limited, so that it has been diflicult to devise a railbond of sufficient size and of ashape to withstand for an indefinite period the alternate elongation and contraction caused by the motion of the rails. 1

It is the object of my invention to provide a bond for use under the rail-joints of a form olferiug greater flexibility and having a greater portion of its length adapted to take a portion of the bending strain than is possible in the present rail-bonds. In order to secure a better shape of bond and to secure greater space in which it may be placed, I propose to utilize the space on both sides of the web of the rail between this web and the plates of the rail-joint for a bond by allowing a part of the bond to be on one side of the rail and another part on the other side of the rail, a suitable opening being made in the metal of the rail to permit the bond to pass from one side to the other". By so doing I double the space in which the rail-bond may be placed, allowing a better shape and greater length between the points of attachment to the rail.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows an elevation of the ordinary girder-raitwith a bond a of twisted wires passing through an opening 17 in one of the rails, partof the bondbeing on one side of the rail and the other part upon the other side ofthe rail. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of this rail and bond. Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan in partial section of a bond and rails in which the bond consists of a laminated strip 0, bent to a sinuous form and attached at its ends to the rails.

In Fig. 1 the bond is formed at the end into a block 01 of suitable character to be soldered, welded, or riveted to the rail; but any form of attachment for the end of the flexible strip may be used, if found desirable." A hole of considerably greater width than the section of the bond should preferably be provided in order that the bond may befree to vmove in the substance of the rail. This bond, it will be noted, is attached at one end to one side of one rail and at the other end to the opposite side of the other rail, allowing the two parts of the bond to pass over each other without having to be flattened at the point where this occurs. The bond shown in Figs. 3 and 4, however, is of such form that the ends of the bond may be attached to the same side of the two rails; but this is not essential, and the shape of the bond maybe made of any form which is found desirable to secure a maximum flexibility. .The opening through the web of the rail may be made wholly in one rail, as is shown in Fig. 1, or it may be made partlyin one rail and partly in the other, as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The construction of the bond itself may be varied in any desirable way without altering the application of my invention, and I do not wish to confine myself to the construction shown in the drawings. The bond may be of a flat strip or a number of flat strips, or it may be composed of soft-copper wire woven into a strip, or of any other material or shape of material which will form a flexible strip of suitable shape and character which can be attached at its ends to the two rails to be joined together by the bond, provided that a portion of the bond between its ends passes into or through the web of the rail.

Having thus described the object and na-- ture of my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. A rail-bond consisting of a flexible strip having portions of its length between its ends bent laterally, sufiicientl y to pass through the web of a rail.

2. A rail-bond consisting of a flexible strip, having its ends located in different planes, corresponding to the opposite sides of the web of a rail.

3. A rail-bond consisting of a flexible strip bent laterally between its ends and thereby adapted to be passed through an opening in one or both of the rails to be joined, and to be attached at each end to one of the rails.

4. In a rail-bond, a combination of two attaching-surfaces and a flexible portion bent in the direction toward which one or both of the said surfaces face, and thereby adapted to pass through the web of a rail.

5. In a rail-bonding construction, the combination with rails provided with a perforation, of a flexible connection secured to said rails and passing through said perforation.

G. In a rail-bonding construction, the combination with rails provided with an opening leading from one side to the other thereof, of a flexible strip passing, through said opening and secured at its ends to the opposite sides of said rails.

EDWARD G. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

TIMOTHY W. SPRAGUE, W. H. BOYNTON. 

